selling out

At what point does compromise become selling out? Is it dependent on time?

Principles, standing your ground, fighting for what you believe to be correct, and just plain trying to get others to agree with you are all several ideals brought forth to hold on true. And yet, what's supposed to be "safety in numbers" turns out to be the villagers storming the castle of ethics crazed with dollar signs in their burning eyes.
Passion, conviction, and a steady course of action usually lead to success. But at what cost? And who will end up defeated in the end??
The giants are stiring, the boss is conspiring, and the all the king's men are working towards the next big thing. So where does it put the little guy, the mouse, the underdog? Alone, in an army of one, no where. The lone mouse is lost in the shuffle and excitement of the plan. But banded together. These mice, these little guys, these underdogs can pull through and make their mark -- they can succeed. Right?

But who decides what they fight for? The biggest and loudest of the smallest? The one with the most time? Or maybe the mouse who stands to gain the most influences the others like an ironic pied-piper amongst friends.

I don't expect this to make sense, but I'm NOT SELLING!!!! This is not the answer, this is not the right way to settle. Selling now is no different than running. And I'm not backing down to these giants. I'm standing for what I believe in, I'm protecting my home, and even if I have to start my own band of mice, I'm not selling out for maybe 3%. Flood plane? Who cares, this is our domain. Don't sell out. Don't run away.